The Ring-tailed Lemur is a strepsirrhine primate and it has a very long white and black ringed tail that makes it distinct. They are omnivorous and diurnal in nature.
Ring-Tailed Lemur Interesting Facts For Kids and Information :
- The name lemur comes from the Latin word ‘spirit’ or ‘ghost.’
- They have a total length of 95cm-110cm.
- The length of their body is 38.5 cm-45.5 cm (without the tail).
- Their average weight is 2-2.4 kg
- The length of their tail is 56-62.5 cm
- They are instantly recognizable due to their long, bushy, white and black ringed tails.
- The males compete against each other to get a female through smearing scents on their tails, wafting their smells towards their opponent, and stink fights.
- This Lemur species spends more time on a specific ground and move in a group of fours.
Ring-Tailed Lemur Diet :
The exact composition of a lemur's diet changes depending on the season and habitat. It supplements its diet by the intake of sodium through consuming soil. It feeds on different types of food, including sap, fruits, bark, leaves and flowers. It also prey on big insects along with chameleons.
Ring-Tailed Lemur Habitat :
They are usually found in rock canyons, prickly forests, dry woods, lowland forests, and dry brush. They are seen in a broader range of habitats than any other lemur species. They can survive in extreme environmental conditions, including the driest, coldest and hottest areas in Madagascar.
Behavior :
Ring-Tailed Lemur always sleeps with its long tail curled up over its back and its nose tucked between its hind legs. Although they move from one tree to another in search of food, they are also known to spend a lot of time on the ground. One interesting behavioral fact of this species is that it loves to expose its underside to the sunlight.
Lifestyle :
Lemurs show strong territorial defense when they are threatened by a different group of lemurs. They occupy their preferred overlapping home ranges. When there are needs for confrontation against another group, the females are the ones that dominate as they get into a face off, irregular fighting or alarm backing. After this event, they retreat.
Lemurs are found in larger groups which contain equal number of females and males, including their youngsters. Every group has a proper hierarchy with 3-25 individuals. The tailed lemur converses through a broad series of vocalizations. They also mark their home range using scent marks.
Predators :
The most extreme threat to their survival is caused by the losing of their habitats due to deforestation, charcoal production, overgrazing and bush burning. Their conservation status is “endangered,” which means they are prone to becoming extinct very soon. Some lemurs are trapped and kept as pets in reserves, homes and zoos while some are hunted for food.
Breeding :
Ring-Tailed Lemurs gain sexual maturity when they are about 2.5 to 3 years old. The males contend for entrance to females through a stink fight, smearing their tails from the odor that emanates from a secreted substance from their wrists and drifting this odor towards their opponents.
Mating amongst them takes place during mid-April when the male lemurs get complete access to the females after fighting off their opponents. In September, their offspring are born after 130 to 144 days of gestation period.
The female red-tailed lemurs give birth once a year either to one infant or twins. During this period, there is plenty of food available when the baby lemurs are weaned. The baby lemur is often hold tightly to its mother’s body and it rides on its mother’s back after 2 weeks when it is ready to survey its environment.
Throughout the ring-tailed lemurs’ lives, they move from one group to another once every 3-5 years. The male lemurs leave their group after being matured, unlike the female lemurs. Their lifespan is between the ranges of 15-16 years.
Images, Pics, Photos and Pictures of Ring-Tailed Lemur :
Also read: Echidna – The Most Weird and Interesting Mammal
General Appearance :
Ring-Tailed Lemur received its name from the Latin word Lemur which literally means ‘ghost’ or ‘spirit.’ It is one of Madagascar’s highly terrestrial active animals. Ring-tailed lemur is a distinctive primate with a long and bushy tail.
The male and female lemurs are of the same body size and appearance. This species has a distinctive tail that is longer than the head and body, and tipped with black. A dark black skin is visible on the ring-tailed lemur’s feet, lips, nose and eyelids.
The lemur also has a white colored face with patches that are triangular in shape. Around the eyes, a dark snout is visible and its large ears are nicely furred. This primate has a dense fur which is grayish-brown on the back and grey on the limbs and rump.
Ring-Tailed Lemur Characteristics :
- Ring-tailed lemurs have a large body as compared to other lemur species.
- Their tail is longer than their head and body.
- These lemurs have black soles.
- They have brownish patch on their buttocks.
- Their genitals are colored in black.
- They have a great sense of smell and they use scent marking to define their territories.
- They have a long-lasting brachial and genital secretion.
- Both male and female ring-tailed lemurs have fur.
- Their brachial glad is located in a granular opening, high in the chest.
- The brachial gland is mostly developed in the male ring-tailed lemurs and it is used to mark their own tails or objects.
- They have a very poor vision despite the fact that they have a good sense of smell.
- The ring-tailed lemurs’ high elevation population possesses a darker reddish overall, dark gray brown on limbs, fewer tail rings, denser fur and different sub-species.
- The low elevation population of the ring-tailed lemur possesses a light gray on rump and limbs, darker grey on neck and crown, brownish back, white under parts and sparsely furred.
- Their tail has a band number of 12-13 white bands and 13-14 black bands.
- Their ears are slightly stuffed and prominent.